The Best Director

“NO! NO, NO————”

In the movie theater’s auditorium, sobs filled the air, interspersed with the emotionally charged cries of hysterical weeping. The audience, though not at full capacity, gazed at the large screen with sorrow, where James Caviezel, portraying Jesus, was being brutally nailed to the cross by the Romans, during the screening of “The Passion of the Christ.” As viewers mourned, the violent images on screen seemed even more provocative, making the believers feel as if they were witnessing the crucifixion of Jesus themselves, naturally leading to tears and cries: “Lord, please forgive us for our sins.” “Merciful Lord, oh Lord…”

In a seat among the middle rows of the audience, Jessica, though not bursting into a storm of tears, also had a red nose, as tears continuously streamed from her eyes, and she murmured shakily, “My God, it’s too horrible, how could, oh no…” Wang Yang held her tightly in his arms, tenderly wiping her tears with a tissue, his own heart feeling uncomfortably heavy. He wasn’t a Christian, but anyone would find it difficult to watch such brutally violent scenes and stories.

From its release on February 20th to this new weekend on April 30th, “The Passion of the Christ” had been showing for ten weeks. In North America alone, it had amassed a box office of $365 million, surpassing “District 9” to become the top-grossing R-rated movie in history; including international markets, it had raked in nearly $600 million globally. For a film with a production cost of $30 million, there was no doubt that it was a commercial success, and this didn’t even account for the optimistic projections for future sales. However, making money from a film about Jesus was not easy.

As it is well known, Jesus was betrayed and killed by the Jews, and the Jewish community holds significant influence in Hollywood and the entire American business sector. Secondly, the disputes between various religious and Jewish groups would bring immense pressure. Therefore, almost every film company’s conclusion was the same: there’s no need to earn such a small amount of money by putting oneself in the line of fire and truly offending many people, which in turn could harm one’s own interests.

As a result, Mel Gibson, the producer and director of “The Passion of the Christ,” sought distribution from film companies everywhere but faced rejections at every turn. Even Lionsgate, known for the credo “the bolder the people, the higher the box office,” shook their heads. Nobody denied that the money was enticing; it was too dangerous to accept, lest their companies face difficulties in the future. This wasn’t just about business; in terms of filmmaking itself, many legendary and talented producers, directors, actors, and more were Jews. Why bother?

Especially since Newmarket Films, which operated on a model similar to Lionsgate and was a privately-owned independent production and distribution company, was not appealing. It was founded in 1994 by William Tyrer and Chris Ball, and in recent years had invested in and produced films like “Memento” (later sold to Lionsgate) and “Death Illusion” (later sold to Lionsgate) and distributed titles such as “Monster.” They managed to secure 3006 theaters for the opening of “The Passion of the Christ.”

In actuality, Lionsgate had its eye on acquiring Newmarket Films. High-level executives like Wang Yang and Mark Strong had already discussed proposals for the acquisition, not to indirectly gain “The Passion of the Christ,” but to add nearly 200 films to the Lionsgate film library. Unlike Artisan’s collection, whose highest value was with the rights to thousands of films like “Veggie Baby Adventures,” Newmarket’s 200 titles included many classics, with standouts at the Oscars that year being “Whale Rider” and “Monster.”

Moreover, according to the long-tail theory and the actual cash in hand of Lionsgate, their longstanding stance was: it didn’t matter whether it was a classic or junk, they would take as much as they could get.

However, the problem is that Newmarket is operating well and is financially healthy, to the point where they haven’t even taken the step of going public for fundraising. William Tyrer and Chris Ball still have ambition, and they’ve been burned by Firefly twice, so Firefly’s intention to acquire seems to have quite a journey ahead.

Although it had been released for many months, Wang Yang and Jessica went to the theater to watch “The Passion of the Christ” for the first time, deliberately avoiding it earlier so as not to affect their happy honeymoon mood. The movie had already caused huge social controversy. A 57-year-old woman from Wichita City in Kansas State died of a heart attack due to being overly emotional while watching the movie; a 43-year-old Priest from Brazil died of a heart attack; countless viewers were moved to tears, unable to contain themselves.

However, protests by Jewish people outside the theater were also fiercely ongoing. Numerous Jewish organizations protested that the film contained anti-Semitic content and direction, “Emotionally speaking, if anyone is on the verge of hating Jewish people, then this movie will push you over the edge.” Some Jewish protesters wore concentration camp uniforms and gathered in New York’s Times Square to demonstrate, and an extreme conservative politician from Israel even suggested that “Mel Gibson should be put on trial.” Many Jewish viewers called “The Passion of the Christ” garbage.

A few years ago, the huge success of “Juno” led to a surge in teenage pregnancies and was criticized as the “culprit”; the opposition and social controversy faced by the release of “The Passion of the Christ” also hinted at the treatment that “Brokeback Mountain,” with its moderate success, would encounter.

“Whimper… No!! Ah…” In the dimly lit bedroom, Jessica woke up from a nightmare, her head drenched in cold sweat, her complexion pale, breathing heavily, “Huff, huff…” Why did she have such a dream? Could it be a supernatural revelation from the Lord? Tonight, after watching “The Passion of the Christ,” she read the Bible for a while and repented before going to sleep, then… Why would the Lord reveal himself like this? What does this revelation mean…

Wang Yang was startled awake by her cries, blinking his sleepy eyes. He asked, “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Jessica shook his shoulder nervously and said, “Baby, I had a terrible dream; I think it might have been a special revelation from the Lord.” Hearing the fear and panic in her voice, Wang Yang became almost fully awake and comforted her, “It’s not, don’t think too much, it’s just an ordinary nightmare.”

“I don’t know…” Jessica frowned in confusion. She suddenly broke free, sat up, and turned on the bedside lamp with a click. She picked up a thick Old Testament that was still on the dresser, flipped to the Major Prophets section, and said blankly, “Where is it, where is it… Look! Right here, ‘The Book of Daniel’ chapter seven: In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream…”

“Hey, don’t scare yourself!” Wang Yang hastily interrupted her, grabbed the Bible with a snap, closed it, and put it back. He knew this was probably a residual effect of waking from a dream. It’s like when you wake up, feeling that a certain idea from your dream was particularly good, only to realize later that it makes no sense. He earnestly said, “Your dream isn’t a supernatural revelation; you are not Daniel, just Jessica! Even if the Lord gives you a revelation, it wouldn’t be about you as an individual, but about this nation, this world.”

“Then is this world going to be destroyed?” Jessica, seeming to find some sense in his words, asked doubtfully. Wang Yang couldn’t help but want to laugh at her cute expression, one eyebrow raised and the other lowered, he shrugged his shoulders and said, “I don’t know, but if you know who the Mayans are, you could ask them about their attitude towards the end of the world in 2012.” Jessica exclaimed in shock, “What?!… The end of the world in 2012? What’s that about!”

“No, it’s just a very good movie theme. Didn’t they say the world was ending in 1999? And then again in 2000… Jessie, what exactly did you dream about?” Wang Yang became serious and patted her distressed face with a bit of force. Jessica was jolted fully awake by the pat, recalling, “I don’t remember the details, just that there was a great flood all over the world, there was Noah’s Ark on the sea, but we were in the water… and got separated by the waves, and then I died.”

Jessica buried herself miserably in Wang Yang’s embrace. He frowned and stared at her for a while, then said, “Let me try to analyze why you had this dream? First, we watched ‘The Passion of the Christ’ tonight, and you thought the torture of Jesus was horrifying, that everyone is sinful; then you read the Bible, did you look at the ‘Book of Revelation’ section of the New Testament?” When she glanced at the bedside table and nodded, Wang Yang continued, “Lastly, you might have thought of Jack and Rose from ‘Titanic,’ that’s the movie we watched when we met, right? So you had this dream, but unfortunately, it’s not a revelation.”

“It seems so…” Jessica gradually cracked a smile and burrowed her head against his chest, “Oh, it’s just a regular dream.” Wang Yang held her and gently laid her back down, consoling her, “Stop thinking about ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ all that is history now.” Jessica hummed in acknowledgment and softly said, “It’s really sad. Yang, come with me to the church tomorrow for Mass.” Wang Yang promised, “Of course.” Jessica laughed again and added, “Tell me a story to help me sleep! How about the Mayans, the 2012 world’s end?” Wang Yang laughed, “OK, a Chinese guy has to tell about the Mayans to a Mexican descendant.”

Jessica interjected, “I remember they must be one of the native tribes, I’m not really sure, I’m a Yankee who grew up in California, but I can do a Texas accent.” Watching her cheeky ‘I’m so smart’ look, Wang Yang rolled his eyes in feigned annoyance, “Yeah, HOMEBOY!”

Americans are generally called Yankees outside of the United States. Within the country, Southerners call Northerners Yankees, and Northerners call Southerners rednecks. Texas is of course considered the South; while Californians, known for their liberal and open-minded culture, are often called Gays.

In recent years, Hollywood has seen a trend of the ‘Australian gang’ and ‘New Zealand gang,’ with stars like Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger, and Naomi Watts. However, some magazines have also pointed out a ‘Southern whirlwind,’ which includes Texan-bred celebrities like Renée Zellweger, Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jennifer Garner. Jessica, who spent some of her childhood in Mississippi, Texas, with an understanding of the Southern accent, isn’t put into the ‘Texan gang’ because she was born in Pomona City, California, and from the age of nine, settled firmly in Los Angeles, earning her the title of California HOMEGIRL (fellow townsfolk, member of the same circle).

Wang Yang, born in San Francisco and having grown up there before attending USC, a prestigious California university, is an even more HOME-grown HOMEBOY, which is why Lin Yibin had an easier time making his mark in Hollywood than James Wan, and was more praised upon succeeding; and Wang Yang has been even more successful than Lin Yibin.

“I’ll do the storytelling, anyway, there’s a notion that the Mayans and Chinese share common origins. Simply put, you also know that the Mayans were a branch of the Native Americans who lived in Central America and Mexico.” As Wang Yang narrated, he soothingly stroked her hair like tucking a child into bed, Jessica softly asked, “Yes, and then?” Captivated by her clear eyes, Wang Yang continued to smile and explain, “The Mayans had a calendar known as the solar calendar. They divided the year into 18 months, with each month having… 20 days, which is very, very close to the precision of our current calendar, though I’ve forgotten the exact numbers. Interestingly, their calendar predicted the spring equinox for sowing and the autumn equinox for harvesting, which coincidentally align with the Chinese lunar calendar’s equinoxes…”

April 30th marked the start of the tenth week since the release of ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ and was also the premiere date for mass releases of new films like ‘Mean Girls,’ ‘Heaven Sent,’ and ‘The Law of Attraction.’ On the following week, May 7th, ‘Ice Age 2’ was set to ‘counter-attack’ the North American big screen, firing the first shot for Flame Movies’ assault on the summer box office of ’04.

As time stepped into May, it seemed like overnight that ‘Firefly’ had been shooting for over a month. In this new week, the crew welcomed Heath Ledger’s appearance as ‘Blue Glove,’ much to the chagrin of little Robert Downey Jr., who couldn’t believe the on-set contest for genius was lost just like that! Ellen Page, Michael Pitt, and a few others couldn’t stop their praise, boosting everyone’s acting morale, ready to be convinced even in defeat.

Heath Ledger’s performance was nothing short of terrifyingly astonishing. The moment Wang Yang shouted “Action,” Heath was like being struck by electricity, instantly transforming into a completely different person, Blue Glove. On the surface, he seemed to have Ennis’s quiet, reticent character, yet the Blue Glove’s sparse words emanated absolute confidence. His silence wasn’t from a lack of communication skills or insecurity; it was a need for no explanation, with a focus on efficiency. This confident silence, occasionally intense and mad, yet gentle and cultured at times, all these contradictory traits were almost perfectly portrayed by Heath Ledger.

“Thank you.” Inside the Flame Movies’ studio, a hotel room set was being used for ‘Blue Glove’s’ “clean-up” scene, where he had to eliminate all the civilians he had come into contact with through River. From the hallway to the room, the crew had changed sets and camera positions several times. While Wang Yang and Valery Fest and others continued to monitor through lenses and operate the machinery as always, the Heather Ledger calmly stepped towards a trembling, retreating middle-aged white man.

“RUN!” the middle-aged man shouted as the family members behind him panicked and fled, including Chloe Moretz in a white dress holding a large cloth doll. The middle-aged man desperately lunged at the mysterious figure in the black overcoat, but “Heath” gracefully sidestepped, his left hand in blue gloves grabbed the man’s shoulder, and his right hand rained down a few swift, not particularly forceful punches to his face, causing the man to emit dull cries of pain: “Ah, ah!!”

With his left hand, “Heath” pulled the man toward himself and brusquely shoved him onto the table with the vase, making a “pom-pom” sound. He clenched his teeth grimly and punched the man heavily again, saying earnestly, “Thank you.” Amidst repeated CUTs and Actions, “Heath” showed varied expressions throughout the murder sequence: a slightly uplifted corner of his mouth when killing the guard, a mysterious “Thank you,” dimples when killing a passing waiter, a satisfied “Thank you”…

Like a madman but not quite, Wang Yang was very pleased with “Heath’s” various subtle movements and changes in expression. His facial expressions and body movements were always synchronized, which meant a fully immersive performance. These brilliant performances were the rich close-up material he needed and commanded.

The right hand of the freshly murdered man moved slowly and rhythmically. With the camera trailing him, “Heath” suddenly quickened his pace and went after a middle-aged white woman who was running toward the bedroom down the hallway, delivering a fast punch: “Thank you.” Then there was Tye Duke Moretz, standing at the bedroom door, uttering tragic “Ah! Ahhh—!” screams, knowing his end was nigh. “Heath” looked nonplussed for a moment, then, without hesitation, grabbed him and placed him against the door frame, delivering a punch: “Thank you.”

The camera had moved to the bedroom set, framing the doorway head-on. Quietly, the hallway doorframe slowly revealed “Heath’s” face. He glanced into the bedroom, seemingly not at the crew but at a terrified cute little girl on the floor. He smiled slightly and strutted in, pulling at his gloves: “Hello.”

“Why, at the start, did you invite Brad Pitt to play the man in blue gloves?” On the first day of filming “Heath,” Vale Fest had asked Wang Yang in bewildered curiosity, to which Joss Whedon remarked, “Heath’s performance is nothing short of miraculous!” Now, watching “Heath’s” chilling demeanor and listening to the friendly-toned greeting, Wang Yang could only shrug; the guy was indeed a marvel. Why Brad Pitt? “I don’t know.”

“CUT! Wow, fantastic!” Wang Yang called a halt to the shooting and couldn’t help but laugh heartily, opening his arms and walking towards “Heath,” praising with a laugh: “Heath, that was amazing! You’ve outdone even me, a performing arts genius!” “Heath” bumped fists with him, and with a rough voice, hit him on the back and said, “Thank you!” Seeing this, Vale Fest and the rest of the crew couldn’t help but laugh aloud.

“Chloe, Chloe—”

The upcoming scene between the man in blue gloves and the little girl was Chloe Moretz’s only scene in “Firefly,” and one of the film’s most critical scenes.

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